Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday told his Likud party delegates that the disengagement plan is already underway and will be implemented according to the timetable.

Sharon was booed as he mentioned the plan during his address at the Likud convention Tuesday evening and it took several minutes to get the crowd under control so that Sharon could continue with his speech.

"We will not be dragged into an impasse, we will not be dragged into a deadlock, we will continue our pursuit of peace," Sharon told the meeting.

The ruling Likud, a right-wing party, has met hurdles for implementation of Sharon's pullout plan from the Gaza Strip as many of its own members, including Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are opposed to it.

After four years of Intifada (Palestinian Uprising), Sharon insisted the Jewish presence in Gaza has become untenable, with about 8,000 Jews in 21 settlements living along with 1.3 million Palestinians.

Sharon said earlier that withdrawing from Gaza would help Israel solidify its hold in the West Bank where 240,000 Jewish settlers live.

(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2004)